Soccer-rich island of Guadeloupe finally gets its own moment

CHICAGO — For years, Guadeloupe has claimed France's beloved Les Bleus as its own.

NANCY ARMOUR

CHICAGO — For years, Guadeloupe has claimed France's beloved Les Bleus as its own.

It hardly matters that the tiny, butterfly-shaped Caribbean island is thousands of miles and an eight-hour flight from the Champs-Elysees. Or that its pristine white beaches, volcano and sugarcane fields bear little resemblance to Provence, Paris or Marseille.

When Guadeloupe cheers the black, blanc and beur, it cheers itself. Thierry Henry, Lilian Thuram, Louis Saha, Bernard Diomede, William Gallas — all either came from Guadeloupe or have family who did.

"The team of France is a little like the team of Guadeloupe," went the chant that rang through the island streets when Les Bleus won the World Cup in 1998.

Tonight, Guadeloupe will truly have a team to call its own when the Gwada Boys play Mexico in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. It's the first time a team from the little island has advanced so far at a tournament since 1992.

And that was at a youth event.

"We love to play for France," David Sommeil said after the team's workout Wednesday at Soldier Field. "But we are Guadeloupeans first, and it's a very great honor to play for Guadeloupe."

Just how great was evident when the players arrived at the stadium. When they walked onto the field, most pulled out cameras or cell phones to snap pictures. As practice wrapped up, one player handed his camera to someone else so he could get a picture of himself on the field.

"I'm very proud to be in this position and proud to carry the colors of Guadeloupe," team captain Alain Vertot said. "And for the opportunity to show most Americans there is an island in the Caribbean called Guadeloupe."

With a population of just 425,000, Guadeloupe is smaller than Portland. Sizewise, it's about twice as big as New York — the city, not the state. Tourism is its main source of income. Sugarcane and bananas are its primary crops.

It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a powerhouse. Yet France and Les Bleus would be much different without the island.

Guadeloupe has been a part of France since colonial days and, at one time, was very much in demand. The British tried several times to add it to the empire, only giving up in 1763 when France agreed in the Treaty of Paris to drop its claims to Canada.

It remains one of France's overseas departments. Its people vote in French elections, fly the French flag and use the euro. Think Puerto Rico, but with a French accent.

But Guadeloupe isn't one of FIFA's 208 members, so it isn't recognized by soccer's world governing body. It is allowed to have a team in this regional championship, but if players seek the spotlight of the World Cup, they must do it wearing the French jersey.

So many of the best leave Guadeloupe at an early age, working their way up through Europe's professional leagues and the French national team.

"Soccer in Guadeloupe is amateur. It's a good level, but it's not professional level," said Sommeil, who plays in England at Sheffield United. "The good players from Guadeloupe go to play in France or Europe."

Which makes Guadeloupe's appearance in the semifinals such an "extraordinary adventure," as Franck Louis, the team's technical director called it.

While some of the team plays in Europe, most who do toil in France's minor leagues. Sommeil is in the Premier League and two players — Franck Grandel and Loic Loval — are in the Dutch League.

Most, though, still play in Guadeloupe, where the domestic league makes Major League Soccer look like the Premier League, Serie A or the Bundesliga.

It's an amateur league. Day jobs aren't just a hobby, they're a requirement. One player is a firefighter. Vertot, the captain, is a security officer at a school.

Asked why he continues to play, the 34-year-old smiled.

"It's for the island," he said. "Football is the heart of Guadeloupe."

And for those players who leave, Guadeloupe is their heart.

After France won the World Cup, Thuram could have partied anywhere in France he liked. Instead, he caught a flight to Guadeloupe. Jocelyn Angloma played for France at the 1992 and '96 European Championships, and had a long professional career in France, Italy and Spain. When he retired, he returned home to Guadeloupe.

Given the chance to play in the Gold Cup, Angloma didn't hesitate. Never mind that he'll turn 42 in August.

"For the players who developed their games in Europe, it's a way for them to feel close to Guadeloupe," Louis said.

It hardly matters that they are heavy underdogs against Mexico, which advanced to the World Cup's second round last summer before losing to Argentina in overtime. Nor that, if Guadeloupe wins, it won't get the spot in the Confederations Cup the winner traditionally gets. When the players step onto the field tonight, all eyes will be on their tiny island.

Finally, Guadeloupe will have a team all its own.

"I'm very proud of that," Sommeil said. "And, for Guadeloupe, it's a very big thing."

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